Eric Weddle Injury: Updates on Chargers Star's Groin and Return

San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle suffered a groin injury during a Week 16 game against the Oakland Raiders, which will end his season.

Continue for updates.

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Rivers Comments on Weddle Missing Season's Final Game

Thursday, Dec. 31

"I hate it that he’s not going to be out there for his last one and finish this season with all of us," Rivers said, per Eric Williams of ESPN.com. "That’s definitely tough. You don’t want to see it end that way for him."

"He’s played through a lot of things over his career," Rivers added, per Williams. "And so I would have loved to see him have the chance to get to Friday or Saturday, and see if he could go. But that didn’t happen because I think he would have done all he could to be out there with us one last time."

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Weddle Placed on Injured Reserve

Monday, Dec. 28

The Chargers confirmed the end of Weddle's season. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted Weddle "has almost certainly played his last game as a Charger."

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Weddle's Injury a Major Blow to Chargers

The Chargers absolutely cannot afford to lose two players on their roster for any significant period of time. Along with quarterback Philip Rivers, Weddle happens to be one of those players. A groin injury forced him to miss Week 7 this year—the first contest he's missed since 2009.

Weddle is among the best free safeties in the NFL and can't be replaced by any individual on San Diego's roster. Special teams ace Darrell Stuckey would ordinarily be the next man up, but he's nursing a knee injury. 

Because of Weddle's durability and consistent, elite caliber of play, few have gotten the chance to play his position. Entering the 2015 campaign, he had missed just four games in his entire NFL career, spanning eight prior seasons.

The 30-year-old veteran can roam around and line up about anywhere in the Chargers secondary. He has uncanny instincts that can't really be accounted for, either. Whether it's Jahleel Addae or Adrian Phillips who replaces him for the time being, San Diego fans may have seen the last of Weddle in a Chargers uniform.